I was having a conversation with a colleague about the degeneration of our language, in particular about the number of gross, ugly swear words used in movies and TV shows these days (as well as in ordinary language).
My point was that the English language is rich and has a vast vocabulary of nicely insulting words, and that fact means that we never need to become crude, rude and vulgar by descending into the obscene vocabulary.
And to make my point, here is a list of much smarter words to insult someone—and not one of them is a swear word:
Insipid—weak, feeble (from a Latin word literally meaning ‘dull and tasteless’)
Twee—trying so hard to be cute as to be embarrassing (a play on ‘sweet’)
Fatuous—Foolish, silly, stupid (from a Latin word with the same meaning)
Sanctimonious—self-righteous (Such as those ‘virtue signalling’ people who support whatever the latest fashion is in self-important causes happens to be. E.g. they are ‘saving the planet’ by riding a bike instead of driving a car—and that means they own the road and can hold up motorised traffic as much as they wish.)
Unctuous—literally ‘oily’—as slimy as a used car salesman
Craven—cowardly, never inclined to stand up for any principles or values (remind you of some politicians?)
Pusillanimous—another cowardly word, meaning ‘afraid of danger’ (from a Latin source word meaning ‘of very small soul’) [Pronunciation: pyoo-suh-LAN-uh-muhss]
Obstreperous—stubborn and resisting any attempt to get them to cooperate
Obtuse—very dull, dumb and unaware (from a Latin word for a pointed instrument that has become blunt)
By using words such as these you can make your point plainly (even bluntly) and if the person you are insulting doesn’t know the word, they’ll have to grab their phone and check in a dictionary before they’ll even understand that they’ve been insulted!
Tonight, I will join John Stanley for 'The Word Clinic' on 2GB, 4BC, 2CC and the Nine Radio Network -- right after the 10pm news (9pm in Queensland). This is your chance to call or text with a comment or question on words and language. Join us tonight.
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BY THE WAY...
If you'd like to see my A-Z list of Aussie slang, you'll find it here in the Australian Geographic website -- A-Z list of Aussie slang. Here’s the link: The A-Z of Aussie slang - Australian Geographic
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